Wire tightening and twisting mechanism



Jul 28, 1936.

V H. W. COX

WIRE TIGHTENING AND TWISTING MECHANISM Filed June 22, 1935 *UNET E;

STATES tonne are T QFFEQE WIRE. TIGHTENING AND :ryvIs'rmG MECHANISM Henry Wilfred Cox, North .Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Application June 22, 1935, Serial'No. 27,986 In Australia June 29, 1934 9 Claims. (01. 140-93) This invention relates to: improved meanslfor tightening and twisting a-wire about' a caser package and includes means -wherebyrota tion of "a single driving shaft-is adaptedto effect automatic and independent tightening to a predetermined degree of the-wire about the case'or package and twisting of thestrandsofthe-tightened-wire about each other.

I provide two independent-shafts to be driven,

one-shaft constituting portion -of--a capstan as- 'sembly to-effect tightening-of thewire and the other to effect twisting of the strands and cutting of the excess lengths ofthe 'wire. --Between the driving shaft and the said driven shaftsis positioned a gear train comprising asun-wheel keyed to the driving shaft, -a planet wheel =-in mesh with the sun wheel, and a spur'gear'in mesh "with the planet wheel and in -meshwithaspur wheel loose on the driving shaft. By meansof intermediate gearing independent rotation of each of the driven shafts in turnis automatically obtained to effect orderly sequence of operations of the machine.

---In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one form of the invention:

isa part sectional side elevation of the mechanism;

Fig.2 isaplan'of the same;

'Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation-on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and indicating portion of "thegear-on the other side of the section;

Fig.4 is'a similar view on the lined-"4 of Fig. 1;

"Fig.6 is a similarview on the line -5 of Fig. 1. V

"A" driving shaft 10, mounted in bearings II, II and adapted to be manually or power operated, is fitted-with a sun gear wheel l2 which meshes witha planet wheel l3. Planetsgear l3 meshes "with a spur gear I4 which in turn meshes with aspur'wheel l5 loose on shaft l0. Gear I5 is integral witha gear wheel l6 and with a holding plate l1.

,"I'he'plate I7 is provided with an .angularly faced slot ,into which is fitted a similarly shaped withdrawable locking pin l8 which in its housed position in the plate prevents rotationof the gears Hand 16. t

A framing l9 positioned about the shaft Ill and carrying the gears l3 and I4 encases the gears l2, l3, and I4 and is integral with a sleeve 20 which is loose on shaft l0. Sleeve 20 is fitted with a one-way clutch 2| and is secured to a bevel gear which meshes with the crown wheel 22 of a wire tightening capstan assembly 23 The details of construction and 'of'operation of this assembly are fully described in my United States Patent 1,956,234.

An idler gear 24 meshes with gear l6 and also with a'gear 25 fast on a shaft 26 which shaft is one of the driven shafts mentioned above. I Gear -25 meshes with a wire twisting pinion 21. On shaft 25 are locked adjustable cams 28, 23 which are adapted to operate cam shaped wire cutters 39 and iii respectively, cutter-3i being adapted to nickbut not sever the wire leading .to the assembly 23.

Assuming that pin I8 is in housed position in plate ll, rotation of shaft it effects rotation of f-gears i3 and it. Since gears I5 and iii are locked --by the pin i8 the gears l3 and I4 and the framing i9 revolve about the gear l5 with the result that "the sleeveZll and gear-Z2 effect rotation of the wire tighteningassembly 23, the shaft 26 remain- 'ing stationary.

Should pin l8 be withdrawn from plate I! and the assembly 23 be under tension due to a wire tightened" by the capstan, rotation of-shaft lo-effects rotation of-gears l5, [3, 24,25, and 21 and of shaft 26, thecapstan assembly 23 remaining stationary.

The driven capstan of the wire tightening means. and the driven shaft of the wire twisting andcuttingmeans are thusoperated independentlyby the driving shaft insuch-a manner that while eitherone'of these driven members is be- .ing rotated the. other is stationary.

' The ratio of thegears 25 and 21 to each other is selected so that gear 21 makes three complete revolutions for each complete rotation of gear 25.

Looking pin I8 is connected by .a link 32 with a swingable wire gripping'assembly'33 the construction and operation of which is fully set out in my above mentioned United States patent.

Assuming that a wire'tobe tightenedvabout a case or'packagetand twisted has been positioned and held by the assembly 23 and by the assembly 33, the effective tensioning of the wire by means of the assembly 23 partially rotates the assembly 33 in counter-clockwise direction against the resistance of spring 34, thus withdrawing pin l8 from plate I]. A spring pressed catchl35 then snaps in .p0sition behind the head '36 of assembly" 33 and retains the pin in nonlocking position and permitting the gears l6 and 25 and shaft 26 to be rotated by the driving shaft Ill.

Cam 28 is positioned on shaft 26 to effect early operation of wire cutter to sever the wire leading to assembly 33, this does not affeet the rotation of the twisting pinion 21 since the head 36 is held by the catch 35. Shaft 26 continues to rotate, wire cutter 3| nicks its associated wire leading to assembly 23, and the twisting pinion continues its series of rotations until a trip cam 31 on the shaft 26 removes the catch 35 from its retaining position behind the head 36. 7

Pin I8 is then at once returned to locking position in the plate I! by means of springs 38 on. a slidable frame 39 which carries the pin, and

further rotation of shaft It increases the tension on the nicked wire on the capstan assembly side until the wire is snapped. Thereturn of pin l8 prevents over-winding of the twisted wires.

I claim:

1. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a planet-wheel in mesh with said sunwheel, a spur-gear in mesh with said planetwheel, a gear-wheel loose on said shaft in mesh with said spur-gear, a withdrawable locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear-wheel, a rotatable framing carrying said spur-gear, and a wire-tightening capstan in mesh with said framing, said locking-pin being withdrawable by a wire tightened by said capstan.

2. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a planet-wheel in mesh with said sunwheel, a spur-gear in mesh with said planetwheel, a gear-wheel loose on said shaft in mesh with said spur-gear, a withdrawable locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear-wheel, means for withdrawing said locking-pin, an idler-gear in mesh with said loose gear-wheel, a rotatable shaft, a gear-wheel fast thereon in mesh with said idler-gear, and adjustable cam-shaped wire-cutters on said rotatable shaft.

3. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a planet-wheel in mesh with said sunwheel, a spur-gear in mesh with said planetwheel, a gear-wheel loose on said shaft in mesh with said spur-gear, a withdrawable locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear-wheel, means for withdrawing said.pin,.an idler-gear in mesh with said loose gear-wheel, a rotatable shaft, a gear-wheel fast thereon in mesh with said idler-gear, and a wiretw'isting pinion in mesh with said last-mentioned gear-wheel.

4. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fastto said shaft, a planet-wheel in mesh with said sun- Wheel, a spur-gear in mesh with said planet- Wheel, a gear-wheel loose on said shaft in mesh with said spur-gear, a rotatable framing carrying said spur-gear, a wire-tightening capstan in mesh with said framing, a withdrawable lockingpin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear-Wheel on said drive-shaft, said pin being adapted to be withdrawn by a wire tightened by said capstan, and a spring-pressed. catch adapted to retain said locking-pin in withdrawn position. 3

5. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a planet-Wheel in mesh with said sunwheel, a spur-gear in mesh with said planet-wheel, a gear-wheel loose on said shaft in mesh with said spur-gear, a rotatable shaft, adjustable camshaped wire-cutters on said rotatable shaft, a gear-train in mesh with saidrotatable shaft and said drive-shaft, a withdrawable locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of .said loose gear-wheel, means for withdrawing said 10 locking-pin, a spring-pressed catch to retain said pin in withdrawn position, a trip-cam on said rotatable shaft adapted to release said catch, a wire-twisting pinion in mesh with said geartrain, and a spring-urged slidable frame adapted to return said locking-pin to locking position.

6. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a gear loose on said shaft, a geartrain between said sun-wheel and gear, a locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear, means for withdrawing said pin, a rotatable shaft driven by said loose gear, and wire-cutters on said rotatable shaft.

7. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a sun-wheel fast to said shaft, a gear loose on said shaft, a gear-train between said sun-wheel and gear, a locking-pin adapted to prevent and to permit rotation of said loose gear, means for withdrawing said pin, a rotatable shaft driven bysaid gear, wire-cutters on said rotatable shaft, a gear-train between said rotatable shaft and drive-shaft, a spring-pressed catch retaining said pin in withdrawn position, a trip member to release said catch, a wire-twisting pinion in mesh with'said gear-train, and a spring-urged slidable frame adapted to return said locking-pin to locking position.

8. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a drive-shaft, a wire-tightening assembly, a wire-twisting pinion, drive-trains driven by said shaft for actuating said assembly and pinion, said assembly and pinion trains being initially operative and inoperative respectively, means actuated by tension of a wire operated on whereby said assembly and pinion trains are simultaneously rendered inoperative and operative respectively, a catch whereby said trains are retained in the latter state, mechanismwhereby said catch is released on completion of the twisting operation, and a spring restoring said trains to their initial state.

9. Wire tightening and twisting mechanism comprising a, drive-shaft, a wire-tightening assembly, a wire-twisting pinion, drive-trains driven by said shaft for actuating said assembly and pinion, said assembly and pinion trains being initially operative and inoperative respectively, means actuated by tension of a wire operated on 0 whereby said assembly and pinion trains are si multaneously rendered inoperative and operative respectively, a wire-cutter actuated by said pinion drive-train, a catch whereby said trains are retained in the latter state, mechanism whereby said catch is released on completion of the twisting operation, and a spring restoring said trains to their initial state.

HENRY WILFRED cox. 

